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Home / Bioethanol / News Volvo extends flexifuel rangeDerby Evening Telegraph Swedish car maker Volvo is strengthening its long-standing commitment to environmental care by adding two new engines and models to its FlexiFuel bioethanol range. A 2.0-litre FlexiFuel engine will arrive later this year to power the all-new V70 estate and the new S80 executive saloon with a similar five-cylinder 2.5-litre turbocharged power plant to follow in 2008. The new four-cylinder 2.0F motor produces 145PS together with 185Nm of torque to offer fuel consumption of 24.4mpg in the Volvo V70 and 25mpg in the S80. The 2.5F five-cylinder turbocharged FlexiFuel on the other hand pumps out 200PS. A 125PS, 1.8-litre FlexiFuel engine is currently available in the Volvo C30, S40 and V50. The addition of the V70 and S80 cars will give Volvo five models in FlexiFuel guise, the broadest bioethanol range in the UK. «FlexiFuel has considerable potential in larger models too. That is why we plan to continuously expand the implementation of this technology over the coming years,» said Lex Kerssemakers, a senior vice president of the brand. «It's a move that is being driven by the extended availability of biofuels throughout Europe.» He expects biofuel standardisation and guidelines for sustainable production within the EU could make the fuel's development even smoother in the years ahead. Volvo expects 10,000 global sales of FlexiFuel cars this year with engines running on renewable E85 bioethanol fuel which emits up to 80 per cent less carbon dioxide than petrol. Should E85 not be available, the car can also be powered by petrol. Both fuels can go into the same tank in any mixture thanks to the car's innovative engine management system which monitors the blend and automatically modifies the injection and ignition timings to optimise performance. «No single renewable fuel can replace petrol and diesel by itself. We believe in a multi-energy society where many different fuels and technologies are developed in parallel,» said Volvo Cars president and CEO Fredrik Arp. Biothenal fuel is available locally at Morrisons' new filling station at Swadlincote. There are also Saab and Ford cars than run on the fuel.
Date: 10.08.2007 Leave your comment
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